According to a new report, Asustek Computers (Asus) is expected to launch small-screen Windows 8 tablets later this year. On top of that, Asus is ‘very optimistic about sales’ for Windows 8 tablet devices.

“We’re very optimistic about sales for Windows 8 tablets this year,” Asus CEO Jerry Shen stated. Asus is rumored to be pricing these small Windows 8 tablets at below $300. However, it makes us wonder if the tablet will be running Windows 8 or Windows RT, given the low price point. Asus is no stranger to Windows 8, currently offering a 10.1 inch VivoTab Smart tablet powered by Windows 8 for around $450.

In the past, Windows 8 tablets costed a lot of money. Now that Microsoft is pushing towards having Windows 8 on smaller devices, prices could come down to just $50 more than an Android device, at least according to Shen.

According to a recent rumor, Microsoft is expected to announce its next-generation Surface devices during Build 2013 in June. On top of which, these new Surface 2.0 devices will only feature a 7inch to 9inch display to battle against the current demand for small screen touch devices.